Brassiere



June 28, 1955 c. M. COONEY ETAL BRASSIERE Filed July 30, 1952 United States Patent 2,711,535 BRASSIERE Clarissa M. Cooney, St. Albans, and Lillian Claire Matthews, Glen Cove, N. Y

Application July 30, 1952, Serial No. 301,738

3 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to bust-supporting garments or brassieres, and is more particularly concerned with a garment of this character which has structural features which adapt it more effectively to support and retain the bust of the wearer.

Conventional brassieres generally provide adequate vertical support for the bust but provide little or no lateral support, and as a result, when these brassieres are Worn they have a tendency to decrease the apparent natural size of the bust. There have been various proposals, therefore, to employ padding, inflatable units, and other artificial means to compensate for this lack of lateral support and to increase the apparent size of the bust. Such expedients, however, are only partrally effectlve and suffer from numerous disadvantages which limit thelr usefulness.

It is the principal object of the present lnvention to provide a brassiere of improved construction WhlCh provides both vertical and lateral support for the bust of the wearer.

' It is a further object of the invention to prov1de a brassiere of the character indicatedin which the degree of lateral support is readily adjustable to any desired extent.

It is a further object of the invention to prov1de a brassiere having adjustable means for controlling the extent of support applied to the bust and for controlllng the apparent contour of the bust.

It is another object of the invention to provlde a brassiere which is adapted to enhance and augment the apparent natural size and form of the bust of the wearer without recourse to the use of padding, inflatable devices, and like wholly artificial means.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a brassiere having a pair of breast-receiving pockets constructed to cover only a limited extent of the upper portion of the breasts of the wearer, shoulder straps exerting an upward pull upon the outer 315168 of the pockets. and adjustable lateral support-providing tie straps connected at one end to the shoulder straps at a po1nt spaced from the upper ends of the pockets and having free ends adapted to be received in apertures or the like positioned at the center of the front portion of the brassiere closelyadjacent the juncture of the pockets, the free ends of the tie straps being adapted to be tied together to any desired extent.

It is a featureof the brassiere of the invention that the tie straps can be drawn up and tied to any desired extent to provide any desired degree of lateral support for the bust.

It is a further feature of the brassiere of the invention that the lateral supporting means incorporated in it are effective to increase the apparent size of the bust of the wearer in a comfortable, natural manner and make unnecessary the provision of padding or other bulk-providing expedients.

Other objects and features of the invention W111 be readily apparent from the following detailed descnp- I 2,711,535 Patented June 28, 1955 tion of an illustrative embodiment of a brassiere constructed in accordance with the invention, and from the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brassiere embodying features of the present invention, showing the brassire in loose, unsecured position; and

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same brassiere, showing it in applied position with the tie straps tightened and tied to provide the desired lateral support for the bust.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral designates generally the brassiere illustrated, which is formed with two breast-receiving portions or pockets 12 and 13, joined centrally of the brassiere at 15. The lower portions of the pockets 12 and 13 are secured to a non-extensible diaphragm band portion 17 which extends across the front of the brassiere 10 and is adapted to firmly engage the body of the wear to prevent upward displacement of the brassiere. Extending rearwardly from the other sides of the pockets 12 and 13 are backstraps or extensions 19 and 20, respectively, which have at their free ends any convenient cooperating fastening means, as for example the hooks 21 and eyes 22 shown, for securing the brassire 10 around the body of the wearer. For insuring an accurate and comfortable fit, the extension is provided at its end with an elastic strip 25 upon which the eyes 22 are mounted, and elastic inserts 27 and 28 are interposed between the ends of the extensions 19 and 20 and the sides of the pockets and the diaphragm band portion 17.

The breast pockets 12 and 13 are of substantially halfcup shape, being formed with darts 30 and 31 to provide the desired contour. In accordance with the invention, the pockets 12 and 13 have arcuate lower portions 33 and 34, respectively, which are adapted to engage and cover the lower half of the wearers breasts, and upper portions 36and 37, respectively, which are of substantially lesser height and are adapted to extend a relatively short distance over the upper portions of the breasts. At 38 and 39 are indicated the forwardrnost portions or apices of the pockets 12 and 13, respectively, and thus the line of juncture of the lower arcuate portions and the upper portions of the pockets, which meet at 40 and 41 at the outer edges of pockets 12 and 13, respectively. As seen in the drawing, the apices of the pockets 12 and 13 are closely adjacent the substantially rectilinear upper edges 42 and 43 of the pockets with the result that the pockets 12 and 13 overlie only a very small extent of the upper portions of the wearers breasts.

Shoulder straps 45 and 46 are connected, respectively, to back extensions 19 and 20, adjusting buckles 50 being provided for varying the effective length of the shoulder straps. In the embodiment illustrated, the buckles are secured to short extensions 51 and 52 which are connected to strap portions 54 and 55, secured in any convenient manner to the upper ends of the pockets 12 and 13,

respectively adjacent their outer edges. The strap portions 54 and 55 may be integral with the extensions 51 and 52 or they may be separately secured thereto. At the point of juncture of the extensions and the strap portions 54 and 55, there are secured tie straps 57 and 58 which, as will be described, are adapted to be adjustably connected'to the pockets 12 and 13 to exert a lateral supporting force upon them and thereby to create an effective lateral supporting action upon the bust of the wearer. While the point of attachment of the tie straps 57 and 58 to the shoulder straps may vary to some extent, advantageously the distance from the point of attachment to the center lines 40 and 41 of the pockets 12 and 13 is substantially equal to the distance between the center lines 40 and 41 and the diaphragm band 17.

For receiving the ends of the tie straps 57 and 58, the pockets 12 and 13 are provided with eye means which,

3 in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, are apertures or eyelets 60 and 61 formed in pockets 12 and 13, respectively. The eyelets 60 and 61 are reinforced with buttonhole stitching, grommets, or the like. As shown in the drawing, the eye means are two in number and are positioned in each pocket closely adjacent the line of juncture of the pockets and closely adjacent the upper edges 42 and 43 of the pockets.

When the brassiere 10 is worn, the shoulder straps 45 and 46 are slipped over the shoulders of the wearer and the hooks and eyes 21, 22 engaged in the usual manner. The shoulder straps are adjusted to the most comfortable position r'or the wearer. It is a feature of the brassiere of the invention that the tie straps 57 and 58 are operable independently of the shoulder straps so that the desired tension on the tie straps, and thus the desired lateral supporting force, may be realized regardless of the tension on the shoulder straps. The tie straps 57 and 58 are passed through the eye means in the pocket on the opposite side of the brassiere and the tie straps are then drawn to any desired tension and tied together. Thus, the tie strap 57 is passed from the back to the front through the eyelet 61 and the tie strap 58 is passed from the back to the front through the eyelet 60. The tie straps are then drawn up to apply lateral supporting force upon the bust and are tied together, as by a bow 62.

It will be observed that when the tie straps 57 and 58 are drawn up, they form triangles with the shoulder strap portions 54 and 55 and the upper edges 42 and 43 of the breast pockets, the lower ends of the shoulder straps 45 and 46 being drawn toward the center of the brassiere 10 in this position effects a lateral thrust upon the bust of the wearer and not only effectively supports the bust but augments its apparent natural size and contour.

While the invention has been described and illustrated by reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be readily apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in this embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, and it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and in the drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not as limitative upon the invention.

We claim:

1. In a brassiere, an inextensible front band portion, a pair of breast pockets extending upwardly from said band portion and having a point of juncture substantially at the vertical median line of said band portion,

said pockets being formed from a lower semi-cup-shaped portion adapted to cover the lower half of the wearers breasts and an upper partly cup-shaped portion of substantially lesser height adapted to extend over only a portion of the upper half of the breasts, shoulder straps connected to the pockets adjacent the outer ends thereof, a tie strap connected to each shoulder strap at a point spaced upwardly from the upper edge of each pocket, the tie straps being connected to the brassiere only at the point of attachment to the shoulder straps and having free ends, and spaced-apart eye means adjacent the point of juncture of the pockets for receiving the free ends of said tie straps, each of the tie straps having a length substantially greater than the distance from said point of attachment to said eye means, whereby said free ends may be passed through said eye means and ad justably interconnected for adjusting the lateral supporting forces on the bust of the wearer independently of the tension on the shoulder straps.

2. In a brassiere, an inextensible front band portion, a pair of breast pockets extending upwardly from said band portion and having a point of juncture substantially at the vertical median line of said band portion, said pockets being formed from a lower semi-cup-shaped portion adapted to cover the lower half of the wearers breasts and an upper partly cup-shaped portion of substantially lesser height adapted to extend over only a portion of the upper half of the breasts, the apices of said pockets being closely adjacent the upper edges thereof, shoulder straps connected to the pockets adjacent the outer ends thereof, a tie strap connected to each shoulder strap at a point spaced upwardly from the upper edge of each pocket, the tie straps being connected to the brassire only at the point of attachment to the shoulder straps and having free ends, and spaced-apart eye means adjacent the point of juncture of the pockets for receiving the free ends of said tie straps, each of the tie straps having a length substantially greater than the distance from said point of attachment to said eye means, whereby said free ends may be passed through said eye means and adjustably interconnected for adjusting the lateral supporting forces on the bust of the wearer independently of the tension on the shoulder straps.

3. In a brassiere, an inextensible front band portion, a pair of breast pockets extending upwardly from said band portion and having a point of juncture substantially at the vertical median line of said band portion, said pockets being formed from a lower semi-cup-shaped portion adapted to cover the lower half of the wearers breasts and an upper partly cup-shaped portion of substantially lesser height adapted to extend over only a portion of the upper half of the breasts, shoulder straps connected to the pockets adjacent the outer ends thereof, a tie strap connected to each shoulder strap at a point spaced upwardly from the upper edge of each pocket, the tie straps being connected to the brassiere only at the point of attachment to the shoulder straps and having free ends, the distance between the juncture line of the upper and lower portions of said pockets and the point of attachment of said tie straps to said shoulder straps being substantially equal to the distance between said juncture line and the upper end of said inextensible band, and spaced-apart eye means adjacent the point of juncture of the pockets for receiving the free ends of said tie straps, each of the tie straps having a length substantially greater than the distance from said point of attachment to said eye means, whereby said free ends may be passed through said eye means and adjustably interconnected for adjusting the lateral supporting forces on the bust of the wearer independently of the I tension on the shoulder straps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 572,621 Stitt Dec. 8, 1896 2,378,906 Blum June 26, 1945 2,553,225 Weaver et a1. May 15, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 139,725 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1920 967,075 France Mar. 22, 1950 

